The Times Higher Education 100 Under 50 Rankings 2015 is a ranking of the top 100 universities under 50 years old. It provides a glimpse into the future, showcasing not those institutions with centuries of history, but the rising stars which show great potential.

The 100 Under 50 Rankings 2015 methodology has been carefully re-calibrated to reflect the special characteristics of younger universities, giving less weight to subjective indicators of academic reputation.

AltSchools are more than schools. They’re mini-research and development labs, where teachers and engineers are developing the formula for 21st-century education. AltSchool is a experiment with an educational philosophy known as student-centered learning. The approach holds that kids should pursue their own interests, at their own pace.

Founded in 2013 by former Google head of personalization Max Ventilla, AltSchool has poached high level executives from Google and Uber. It’s actually making money. And as of today, Mark Zuckerberg just became one of its largest investors.

In order to make a true dent in education, Ventilla believes the gap between the students (and teachers) using technology and the people building it needs to be as narrow as possible.

Higher Education 2.0 and the Next Few Hundred Years; or, How to Create a New Higher Education EcosystemEducause Review

There is no longer only one pathway to a degree: students often cross the degree finish line with any number of unconventional zigs and zags in their journey. Three important developments stand to dramatically change the way we think about degree programs and pathways:

The rapid adoption of competency-based education programs; An eventual move to suborganizational accreditation, with courses and microcredentials offered by new providers in new delivery models; and increasing recognition that postsecondary education will no longer be contained to the existing and traditional degree levels.

If these game changers come to fruition (and they are already taking shape today), we will see an exciting new ecosystem take hold in higher education.

Imagine an institution that looks just like a university. It has a beautiful campus, a faculty with distinguished credentials, and students who pay tuition, take courses, and receive diplomas. It's just like a university... and yet something is not quite right. The students are getting high grades and piling up debt but don't seem to be learning that much. The professors feel powerless and alienated.

Money is a useful way of measuring the success of a business, and universities need to balance their books. However, once universities adopt the business model, their primary mission changes from furthering knowledge and providing education to making money. This change in priorities alters both the nature and culture of the institution as well as its role in society.

For-Profit Colleges Face a Loan Revolt by Thousands Claiming TrickeryThe New York Times

About 150 former Corinthian Collegesstudents have joined the debt strike. More than 1,000 others are formally asking the Education Department to wipe out their debt, arguing that the school used false graduation and placement statistics to entice them into taking out burdensome debt. And many of the 16,000 students whose schools were closed last week are also likely to apply for loan discharges.

Study Provides Foundation for the Future of Digital Higher EducationPhys.org

A new, comprehensive metastudy of the role technology plays in higher education urges universities of tomorrow to capitalize on technologies that effectively support student learning, to embrace blended learning environments, and to customize degree programs to serve the needs of students in a digital age.

George Siemens, executive director of The University of Texas at Arlington's Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Lab, is the lead author of "Preparing for the Digital University: A Review of the History and Current State of Distance, Blended, and Online Learning." The study offers strategies and important implications for higher education institutions preparing for the digital wave.

New Director of Center for International Higher Education to Redirect Its FocusThe Chronicle of Higher Education

Hans de Wit is heading stateside to lead Boston College’s Center for International Higher Education. But when he becomes director this September, he wants to shift its focus a bit.

"There’s so much happening in China, South Africa, and Russia that is understudied and worth looking into [...] But countries in Latin America do remarkably little collaboration on higher education [...] I especially have a strong interest in Latin America, which traditionally hasn’t been the emphasis of the center." says Mr. de Wit.

Some university presidents are remarkably candid about how they've transformed their institutions to serve market imperatives. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, the former president of George Washington University, acknowledges that he worked to transform the school into a luxury brand. “College is like vodka. Vodka is by definition a flavorless beverage. It all tastes the same. But people will spend $30 for a bottle of Absolut because of the brand.” The implication: All higher education is the same. Some schools are just cooler than others.

Higher-Ed Leaders Say This is The Future of Research UniversitieseCampus News

Inclusiveness, both of students and the community, is the key to obtaining the much-needed funding to secure the future of research universities, said Freeman Hrabowski, president of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

Hrabowski emphasized that only when research universities support a wide-range of students, and therefore show communities this investment into building a better future for all people, will research universities have a secure future as well.

Educational Innovation Weekly Review is curated by Tecnológico de Monterrey'sObservatory of Educational Innovation. With the highlights of the week on innovation, technology and education. If you require more information about a specific note, please email us: observatorio@itesm.mx. TECNOLÓGICO DE MONTERREY, 2015.